Community news: Kruschke, Culbreth honored for bowling feats

Chris Kruschke and Candi Culbreth, two amazing bowlers during the 2010-11 season, headed the list of honorees at the Bowlers Appreciation Day awards dinner Oct. 22 at Classic Lanes in Newport News.

Kruschke was named the Virginia Peninsula USBC Male Bowler of the Year and Culbreth was honored for the second consecutive season as the Female Bowler of the Year.

Having just turned 21, Kruschke is believed be the youngest person to win the Male Bowler of the Year award in recent history.

"We have not kept records on age but he is the youngest I can remember in the past 20 years," association manager Al Watlet said on Sunday.

Kruschke's biggest accomplishment came on Aug. 4, 2010, when he bowled games of 279, 300, and 300 for an association record 879 series. At the time he was only 19. During the same season, he rolled four perfect games and set a house record at the AMF York Lanes with an 854 set.

Culbreth's highlights included leading the women's all-star team with a 210.87 composite average, shooting a career-high 814 series, and rolling a trio of 300 games.

At AMF York this past February, she also combined talents with Jonathan Gary, John Confalone and Brandon Smith in setting a USBC national record for a team of three men and a woman with a high-scratch game of 1,124. She shot a 278 that game.

For the first time, the association selected Super Senior Bowlers of the Year for those over age 65. Lawrence Gibson, 66, was the male recipient and Gloria Mitchell, 81, the female honoree. He carried a 193 composite average at Century Lanes and Mitchell a 168 at Village Lanes.

Brandon Franklin, who rolled an 819 series and carried a 219 average, received the top award for youth boys and Amber Stokes, with a 179 average and 673 series, won the youth girls award.

Laura Favata, who has worked with youth bowlers for 20 years at Sparetimes, was honored as the 2011 Coach of the Year. Bob Ray, 84, was the recipient of the 2011 Service Award. He has been contributing to the sport of bowling as a youth coach since the early 1960s and continues to do so.

Golf

Members of the Tidewater Golfweek Amateur Tour worked their magic again in Hilton Head, S.C.

They pulled off their latest trick Oct. 21-23 by winning the National Tour Championship for the third time in four years.

The team ran away with the title last year — winning by 64 strokes against a field of 22 other teams from across the country. It turned out to be more exciting this time as the Tidewater team led from the beginning and hung on for a 11-stroke victory over former champ Charlotte (N.C.) in the 54-hole competition.

The top two scores each day from the championship, A, B, C, and D flights figured in the scoring.

Tidewater finished with a 2,537 total after rounds of 839, 840 and 858. Charlotte shot 855-848-841 for 2,544 and third-place Columbus (Ohio) posted scores of 857-833-863 for 2,553 in the 19-team field.

"Solid play in all the flights on Day 1 was a big key," Tidewater tour director Lyle Joyner said.

Team depth also proved a major factor.

"It seems by us taking the most players of any tour to Hilton Head pays off," Joyner said. "I think up and down we are one of the top-three solid tours on the national level. We know we can compete at this level, and we all work to get to Hilton Head each year."

In the individual competition, Dan Barrows became the third national champion for Tidewater. The Virginia Beach product won the A flight by four strokes with rounds of 80-79-75 among 147 players in his flight.

In the championship flight, Blake Brookman of Seaford, Jim Gallagher of Yorktown and Chris Tuttle of Virginia Beach also excelled. Brookman (75-75-75) finished third while Gallagher (79-74-77) and Tuttle (79-77-74) tied for seventh among 78 players.

In a preliminary event, Tidewater lost to Louisiana in the VALA Challenge Cup, 52-48.

More golf

The Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg will host its 19th annual Couples Tournament Nov. 7-8 and the Fall Military Invitational Nov. 12-13. The format for both tournaments is two-person better ball the first day and captain's choice the second day. For more information, call 220-7696. ...

The Williamsburg Club defeated Fort Belvoir 31-23 to win the third flight at the VSGA Women's State Team Matches that ended on Friday at the James River Country Club. The host team lost to Meadowbrook CC, 28 1/2-25 1/2 in the second flight title match.

Running

Ed Moran, a four-time All-American runner at William and Mary, will make his marathon debut in the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday.

Moran, 30, is best known as an elite runner at 10,000 meters, having finished fourth in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials at that distance and winning the 2010 National 10K Road Championship in Atlanta. He plans to run in the 2012 Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters. ...

Pamela Lovett, 49, of Newport News turned in a super performance at the Marine Corps Marathon 10K on Sunday in the nation's capital. She won her 45-49 age group and finished ninth overall among the 4,159 females in 42:01. ...

John Piggott of Williamsburg finished third overall among a field of 1,126 finishers at the inaugural Atlanta Marathon on Sunday in 2:44:21. "It was a tough, hilly course, but I felt strong throughout the race," the 46-year-old distance dynamo said.